Ebony shadows gather in darkness

                                    Most by swimming, some by walking

                                    Gulping snakes slippery and soft

                                    Wriggling fingers freed from hands

                                    Disgustingly mysterious, fascinatingly stomach-churning

                                    Creatures seen, but never unseen

                                    Brought to light through no fault of their own

                                    Squirming their way into our thoughts

                                    The paths they face come from human minds

                                    Revulsion, curiosity, fascination, then obsession

                                    The creatures of nightmares open dreams

                                    And embody the principles of controversy

                                    All of this from a delicacy, a pest, a source of income,

                                    A revered figure, a medicinal cure, a monster, a mystery,

                                    The unusual eel.